It's slim form factor and its readable space looks like a good choice, in my opinion.
Its weigh must be something as much close as possible to a limited amount of papers of that size.
It seems to have a touchpad to navigate\turn pages, and little else..

Now that's what i would call a good start

My other "simple" requirements would be:

- The main functionalities limited to display text\images..nothing else that could effect the price. I do not need to write or draw, I do not need a touchscreen, I do not need to listen to music (??), and other useless things..
- A good "file manager" for my ebooks
- The basic options related to text formatting and alteration (zooming, etc..)
- The possibility to read outdoor without any difficulty (i.e. annoying reflexes on the display and such..)
- A battery life like the one on the cybook

And now I need your (owners of an ebook reader) help
Could you please tell me which of these aspects still have to be achieved in a single ebook reader? And possibly when we can hope to see a device like that..

Then how much difference really exists between an e-paper and a classic lcd\tft display? How far is it from a "paper" book? Which are the fundamental "quality" aspects of an e-paper? Resolution, grayscale..?

Then how much difference really exists between an e-paper and a classic lcd\tft display? How far is it from a "paper" book? Which are the fundamental "quality" aspects of an e-paper? Resolution, grayscale..?

That kinda all depends on what type of "e-paper". The term is used to refer to several different display technologies. The fundamental thing they all share in common is that they are bistable... meaning power is only needed to refresh the screen, not to maintain it.

Umm, most devices coming on right now however use a a form of e-paper technology called "eInk". This actually uses fluid filled capsules. Suspended in this fluid are black and white ink particles, each with a different electrical charge. When one applies a charge to the top and bottom of the capsule, it draws a controlled amount of black or white particles to the top and bottom. Anyways, the visible difference between this and an LCD is that eInk is actually surface reflective (whereas LCD either emits or reflects light from behind the screen). The result is a screen whose contrast actually gets better with more light. Compared to a paper book, the background is more grayish... though not horribly so... and there is just a tad bit of glare, which is actually reminiscent to a laminated sheet. Oh, and the resolution at least for the 6" displays is around 166dpi, and the depth of grayscale can range from 4 to 16 shades depending on the device.

Oh, on more distinction with eInk is that, while the currently mass produced screens are all rigid, it can in fact be made flexible. This is demonstrated with the Readius, or Cellular book, which has a 5" display and yet can fold down to fit in a pocket or a small purse.

Last edited by Dylrob; 04-20-2008 at 07:58 PM.
Reason: typos and clarifications

I think you should go for the Cybook. I personally have an iRex iLiad but I think you probably wouldn't be using most features on it (e.g. digitiser, etc.)
As far as your query about the quality of eInk screen compared to LCD/TFT, I can tell you that once you've used eInk you will not want to go back to LCD/TFT!
The difference is absolutely amazing. Most eInk devices will have similar performance for outdoor reading - which is great! The more light you get on the screen, the better contrast you get, just like normal paper.
Just make sure you don't expect back-light on eInk screens. It this regard eInk behaves in the same way as normal paper would - you will need a reading light to read in dark.

The problem is that I cannot afford (as a poor university student) to make a wrong purchase.
Unfortunately the cost of these wonderful devices is far from cheap, so I have to be sure I will be totally satisfied with my choice.

I do not want to see a new generation ebook readers in the next 3-4 months, fo example^^

1) Display dimensions: 9cm by 12cm..What the..? If I take now my ruler and measure the size of my paper books pages I notice this:
- Book with the hardback format: 14.5*22.5 cm
- Book with the paperback format: 12.5*20 cm

As you can see the difference is huge and I find a bit strange no one is complaining about it..how can I consider it as a classic book replacement when it cannot even reach a paperback book sizes?

I hate it but I think I will have to wait until that fundamental requirement will be fulfilled

Bringing forward my cybook analysis I notice one other flaw: it cannot read the rtf format.
In the other aspects I see a pretty standard display specs: 6-inch SVGA, 800x600, 4 grey scales, 166.7 ppi (and I hope these are good enough to read easily..?..), a really good weight, and a good "library database" that shows drew covers and a little book description (unfortunately without a plot summary or a "subdirectory system", it seems)..

All things considered a really good choice for my ideal ebook, if not for the totally wrong dimensions and some lacunae

Damn, I hate to wait..

PS: what the hell are you talking about? Hands? O_O..that beauty will probably be a model or something similar, and if you had been there I can bet those hands would have been the last thing you'd have noticed
PPS: anyway that thing make me salivate (I meant the ebook reader, you perverts -_-)..and I can bet the display size is pretty close to what I previously measured

The problem is that I cannot afford (as a poor university student) to make a wrong purchase.
Unfortunately the cost of these wonderful devices is far from cheap, so I have to be sure I will be totally satisfied with my choice.

I do not want to see a new generation ebook in the next 3-4 months, fo example^^

1) Display dimensions: 9cm by 12cm..What the..? If I take now my ruler and measure the size of my paper books pages I notice this:
- Book with the hardback format: 14.5*22.5 cm
- Book with the paperback format: 12.5*20 cm

As you can see the difference is huge and I find a bit strange no one is complaining about it..how can I consider it as a classic book replacement when it cannot even reach a paperback book sizes?

I hate it but I think I will have to wait until that fundamental requirement will be fulfilled

Bringing forward my cybook analysis I notice one other flaw: it cannot read the rtf format.
In the other aspects I see a pretty standard display specs: 6-inch SVGA, 800x600, 4 grey scales, 166.7 ppi (and I hope these are good enough to read easily..?..), a really good weight, and a good "library database" that shows drew covers and a little book description (unfortunately without a plot summary or a "subdirectory system", it seems)..

All things considered a really good choice for my ideal ebook, if not for the totally wrong dimensions and some lacunae

Damn, I hate to wait..

PS: what the hell are you talking about? Hands? O_O..that beauty will probably be a model or something similar, and if you had been there I can bet those hands would have been the last thing you'd have noticed

I would suggest you try to find a shop that actually sells these gadgets and see for yourself. You are right, they are expensive and you sure don't want to be make a wrong decision.
Don't worry about resolution, it's very readable. Also, I don't think that RTF support is an issue - just convert the files to Mobipocket format.
Screen size is also not an issue unless you are reading PDF docs. Other formats reflow text dynamically.

Another good suggestion for you would be not to do anything for a while. There seem to be a fair few eInk devices coming to the marked in the months to come, and from what I'm reading in the news, prices should be coming down too.

Didn't criticise her beauty or otherwise. I merely pointed out that her hands look huge. Scary.

The shot was clearly taken with a wideangle lens. The effect you're seeing is called perspective distortion.

Anyways, back on topic.. also consider that an ebook doesn't need big margins. Umm, oddly enough purchased ebooks often do (or at least those from the Sony Reader store), but your own documents can be set to use the screen more efficiently (again, at least with the reader).

Screen size is also not an issue unless you are reading PDF docs. Other formats reflow text dynamically.

Uhm..I don't know..I think that as a substitute to a paper book, the ebook reader display must have at least the same dimensions of a normal paper page..In other words I don't want to become blind nor to turn the page every fifty words

Quote:

Originally Posted by m-reader

Another good suggestion for you would be not to do anything for a while. There seem to be a fair few eInk devices coming to the marked in the months to come, and from what I'm reading in the news, prices should be coming down too.

Now that's good news
I suppose you're talking about the EB-300 by netronix..and what else?